Dual Identity Dilemmas
by FireworkSandwich
Summary: In which Adrien hates himself for being incredibly dense and Marinette cannot deal. [Inspired by a tumblr post] Rated T for Language
1. Dual Identity Dilemmas

**A/N** : Sleep deprived I may be, but alive I am yes.

I've made no attempts to break free from the thing people call the, 'Miraculous Ladybug' fandom, so I find myself scrolling through the tag on tumblr. Alot. I just happened to come across an idea for an identity reveal post. I liked it and didn't really think about it until tomorrow when my mind started to create a whole story around it. So I wrote this all in one night and am posting it the next day before I pass out. Fun!

If you want to see the original post that inspired this all, go here:

post/154423435019/i-need-an-identity-reveal-that-goes-like-this

* * *

Dual Identity Dilemmas

 _(Inspired by checkyesbraixen)_

* * *

All in all, Adrien could say this today was the highlight of his week. Nothing would change his mind on this matter. That's what he thought until he found himself dangling above the road and encased in a silk cocoon suspended from a nearby streetlamp. Usually he'd leave his super-powered partner, Ladybug, to assist him out of these kinds of situations. If she hadn't been dealing with much of the same. She was currently attempting to struggle out of her own personal cocoon hanging on the streetlight across from him.

"My lady, I think you're better off not struggling. This silk is pretty strong."

"You can give up if you want Chat, but I know for sure I can...break...this...SILK!"

Continually putting more effort in trying to at least wiggle an arm free from the cocoon, all Chat could see from his point of view was Ladybug's head swinging back and forth with effort.

"I don't know, LB. I think we got too _wrapped_ up in trying to catch the akuma. Because in the end we walked right into his _web_." Chat's puns were half-heartedly delivered with a huff. He didn't even mean to pun, but he ended up doing so anyways.

"Ughh! I don't have time for your puns, Chat! We need to get going chasing that akuma!"

To be honest, Adrien usually agreed, but today's akuma couldn't have come at a worse time for him. He was so close! Today started out like any other school day, breakfast, get in the car, Gorilla drives him over, and he would walk to homeroom with Nino and go through his classes. Adrien had big plans however between today and tomorrow, he planned to turn these normal days into memorable ones. This was it, it was the day he finalized his plan to ask Marinette out!

A month or two back, he didn't think he would actually go through with something like this. But something needed to change. He had been patrolling and fighting the occasional akuma with none other than Ladybug herself for so long without any progress in winning her heart. They remained good friends, if not better with the passage of time. And the foundation of their partnership was solid. Romantically? Nope. Zip. Nada. Try again. Sayonara.

Every single move and line he tried was met with friendly teasing or her dodging it entirely. Especially the most heartfelt ones he could manage, nothing. Not an ounce of compassion. Which furthered his decision to stop chasing her. Did he still hold a deep love for Ladybug...Yes. He would say so. But slowly the flirting went down until the lowest pick up lines, ones could never bring himself to say to such a high class woman like Ladybug, were locked deep away. The flirting went away altogether after that, and their patrols were nothing but witty banter, encouraging words after a long day, and the occasional serious strategy and planning that came after recent akuma attacks.

Instead, he turned his sights elsewhere. In the process of letting go of Ladybug and easing the throttle on, what he calls 'irresistible', charm, he decided to also change things up in the life of Adrien as well. Nothing major, instead he wanted to try putting himself out there and learning more about his classmates. Specifically the two girls that sat behind him and Nino in class. Even though Alya and Marinette were often included in his and the DJ's plans when offered, or vice versa, he noticed he didn't quite know everything there was to the LadyBlogger supreme and the shy aspiring designer. He called them friends, sure, but only Nino could really claim the title of being one of his friends. He knew everything about the guy!

His favorite food? Potatos.

His favorite movie? A fan of over the top, 80's action movies. The Terminator.

His favorite color? At first he said blue, but since a certain incident where he had been stuck with someone else during an akuma attack, it changed. He denied it was ever blue and continually says he meant orange. Adrien could wager a wild guess on who inspired that change…

Alya and Marinette, however, were just a bundle of mystery. So he decided that needed to change. He told Nino about wanting to actually get closer and learn more about his two classmates. Nino heard 'More Alya time' and he was all the more willing to agree. From that point on, Nino and Adrien made a note to include the girls in more of their activities. From simple lunch breaks to planned weekend adventures.

Alya was pumped about Adrien and Nino inviting the two to hang out whenever they wanted. Marinette...Marinette was a special case. When she realized hanging out with the DJ and his best bud meant time around Adrien, her thoughts went through the roof. Hanging out with Nino meant quality time with Adrien. Quality time with Adrien meant more time spent around Adrien. Quality time meant Adrien. Quality. **Adrien**. Time. **ADRIEN!** Millions upon millions of Alya certified pep talks later and Marinette gave in. Extremely happy and also EXTREMELY NERVOUS.

The first few times they hung out as a group, Adrien learned more about Alya he'd never known before. Not to mean he knew everything about her, but she was more than willing to talk about her interests. Especially her top fascination, Ladybug. Marinette wasn't that easy to crack. The first hangouts involved a lot of stuttering, a lot of clumsiness, and, ohhhh man, let's not get started on verbal slip-ups. With time, the nervousness went away. Marinette became a lot more approachable from Adrien's perspective. The girl was still easily flustered, but at least she wasn't intimidated by him anymore! Which is why, as they sat in a cafe they randomly chose after being dismissed for a lunch break, when Alya asked Marinette about her recent design project and Adrien watched the overjoyed girl ramble on and on about the particulars of her recent endeavor, smile wide and bluebell eyes bright with excitement, Adrien felt his heart squeeze while his stomach dropped. With just a look, he fell.

Oh...no…

After the initial shock of the once sheepish designer running up and stealing his heart and not even having the common decency to leave an I.O.U, he was actually partial to giving Marinette a shot. If anything, he knew her. Sure, he knew Ladybug as a great partner and a friend. But he _knew_ Marinette. She had no mask to hide behind. Just deep aqua pools he found himself lost it from time to time. Marinette was beautiful, Marinette was amazing, Marinette was...reachable. So when he found the dimmed flame that once burnt bright for Ladybug put in the corner next to the blazing torch that was the sweet, enthusiastic designer herself, he didn't think twice about it.

In fact, things were going well between them. Too well. He ended up wanting less group time, and to find a way to end up with more Marinette time. Just him and her. No one else. He had a whole elaborate first date planned after a week of constant brainstorming. Nothing too lavish or extravagant, maybe he comes in early the next day and convinces Alya to take Nino somewhere for lunch that day. Marinette arrives and is none the wiser. Lunch time rolls around. Alya makes up some kind of excuse and drags Nino along with her. Adrien makes out like it was unexpected that their blogger friend just happened to have business leaving him and Marinette alone to make plans. He suggests a sandwich place that just opened up a few blocks away. They walk there, sit down, have a chat or two, crack jokes(maybe a few puns?), they both laugh and Adrien says he enjoys spending time with just her like this. Maybe she'd like to do it again sometime? She says yes to another date. They go out. Fall in love. Become high school sweethearts. Marry early. Buy a house with Adrien's copious amount of modeling money. Live together. Have three beautiful children-

Adrien stopped his train of thought right there. Maybe he could work on phase one before jumping ahead.

Of course, this plan was thrown completely out of the window the day he overheard something never meant for his ears. About to leave, he forgot a textbook he would have needed for his history homework that night. Rushing back into the locker area where he stashed it, he failed to notice Marinette and Alya on the other side of his locker in his rush. As soon as the book was deposited in his bag, he stopped halfway out the door when he heard 'Adrien', 'Crush', and 'Date' in the same sentence.

He halted right in the doorway, keeping one ear angled toward the source. That was Alya and Marinette talking. But what were they talking about?

"I don't know. Maybe it's too forward." Wait, Marinette, what's too forward?

"You guys have been getting closer recently. I thought that's what you wanted. That's progress, girl!" Alya was right, they have been getting closer. Wait, progress?

"Yeah, progress. But, I don't know if I can just come right up to him after-school and ask him on a date tomorrow."

What.

"C'mon. You've had a crush on -Boat Model Boy for months. You're approaching the year mark, bottling this stuff up isn't good. Besides, I've seen the way you two look at each other when we go out. You, I'm used to it. But, Adrien, oh Mari if only you saw the effect you have on that boy."

"Alya!" That was it. Stick a fork in him, he was done. He couldn't comprehend anything right now. He couldn't even feel his body anymore. The world was spinning. Wait, the world was actually spinning?

"RAAGHHHHHHHH"

Nope...nope. Just vibrations from a rampaging akuma…

- **AKUMA?!**

* * *

Which brought him back to now. This akuma was horribly timed. Hawkmoth decided to turn a concerned spider enthusiast angry about the mistreatment of his favorite animal into his villain of the week this time. A giant eight foot man with the legs and body of a spider, instead of a spider's head, it was his human body from the belt up with several eyes and arms and a mouth which grew sharp menacing pincers. He was part spider, part man. A spider-man, if you will. Not only did he have the qualities of a spider, but his spider body was able to produce and spin web. The silk wraps they were currently trapped in happened to come from when he turned around and shot the silk out of his-

On second thought, better not to think about it.

After they were wrapped tightly and hung off the nearest streetlights he could find, the akuma scampered off, screaming 'THE SPIDERS WILL BE SAVED!'. Ladybug and Chat saw the purple mask of Hawkmoth appear several times as he ran off. Probably screaming at him to take their miraculous while they were defenseless and all their limbs were pinned. The man ignored Hawkmoth's influence, shouting more nonsense involving spiders down the roads of Paris. Hawkmoth had a rogue akuma on his hand again.

Ladybug continued exhausting herself trying to get out of her cocoon trap while Chat took this time to think. Marinette had a crush on him this whole time. THIS WHOLE TIME! Everything made so much sense. The stuttering, tripping, the embarrassment. He thought she was intimidated by him this entire time, that or still wary from their bad first impression with the seat gum, but really she was just infatuated with him. How goddamn dense could he be?

That accidental confession completely turned the day on it's head. Adrien should feel nothing but happiness. The girl he started to pine over felt the same way, and for supposedly a long time. He had his golden ticket, an opportunity. Which is why his heart decided now would be the best time to be an ass and bring up his past love for Ladybug. The almost extinguished flame flared out of nowhere and put his heart in a vice. He had gotten so close to Marinette, but the closer he got, the more he felt as if he was betraying Ladybug.

It didn't make sense! He was just about to get over Ladybug and possibly be happy with Marinette. He was almost there. And still his brain screamed that he was just using Marinette to fill the void that he failed countless times to have Ladybug fill.

 _But you loved Ladybug first!_

And Marinette just happens to be the second person I've felt like this for.

 _She's not your partner. You don't work together nearly as well as the Heroine of Paris!_

Not true. Marinette has proven herself capable all the time. Plus, we didn't make a bad team on that last group project with Alya and Nino.

 _You just have to try a little bit hard. LB can still be won over._

I don't have to 'work' to please Marinette, she likes me for me.

 _Ladybug!_

Marinette!

Honestly Adrien was so tired he stopped paying attention to his mental argument and was about to just fall asleep in the cocoon. They'd be there for a while anyway. Adrien was about ready to slip off, until he heard a sharp beeping sound.

Beeps...beeps... _HE'S STILL TRANSFORMED!_

Now fully alert, he himself began to wriggle around inside his silk prison. The thick webbing muffling the loud beeps so only he heard it. He couldn't let Ladybug see him like this.

"No. No. No! No! NO! NO!-"

Ladybug stopped wiggling herself when she heard her partner's sudden exclamations. When a blinding green flash went off, she started to regret ever having looked over at the panicking cat.

"NNNNNNnnnooooooooooo~" He trailed off when he realized he already de-transformed. He stopped struggling too. What was the point of trying as Adrien if Chat couldn't manage to break out.

"Well, this day couldn't get any worse." After he said that, he was proven wrong when a small shape bulged out from the cocoon. The lump struggling furiously next to the area that encased his hand he wore the miraculous on.

"Nevermind, I stand corrected."

Adrien almost forgot he had a witness right across from him. Said witness who was his partner that deeply valued their secret identities. Meanwhile, said witness stared at the blonde model boy that replaced the previously dorky, playful kitty she knew. Ladybug's eyes were wide as she stared, mouth held in a surprisingly straight neutral line.

"Heh. Ummm…Hi, m-my lady? How's it hangin?" The words sounded foreign coming out of his mouth without the mask. Adrien was fairly sure the stuttering didn't help either. Ladybug's face didn't move. She didn't twitch, she wasn't doing much of anything really.

Before Adrien got the time to ask her if she was alright, she opened up her mouth and screamed. Really, really loud. Adrien flinched and looked just as surprised as his spotted partner as she continued to scream on for about thirty seconds. How has she not run out of air yet?

When she trailed off, Adrien assumed she ran out of breath or her throat was beginning to hurt. Either way, they stayed silent like that for a while until he tried to speak up again.

"Look, Ladybug. I know you're probably scared or disappointed or mad right now, but I promise I really didn't mean for things to go like this. This is just a really bad day and this just sort of happened. I don't care if you don't want me as your partner anymore afterwards, I wouldn't want me either. But at the very least, can you promise you'll put up with me until we purify this akuma. We can talk about everything then."

Ladybug continued to stare at him with the same face, seeming to not hear anything he just said. His speech was then accompanied with the warning beeps of Ladybug's own miraculous. Adrien just noticed she only had one spot left.

"Ladybug! Your miraculous!" Too late.

With a bright red flash this time, it was time for Adrien to be shocked as he stared back at a face that held bright blue eyes and was dusted with light freckles.

"Marinette!"

Adrien stared back at the girl with wider eyes than she managed and mouth agape. His mind broke. He was lying before. Now he's done. Stick two forks in him. Put him in a coffin. Nino can handle the funeral playlist. Let him die.

Marinette recovered slightly, nervously chuckling and trying to hide further into the mess of silk.

"Uh. Hi, Chaton…"

A red blur flew soundlessly between the couple toward the still moving lump inside of Adrien's cocoon. Reaching her tiny mitts into the mass, the kwami tried to pry the sticky tensile material apart around the shape. Her efforts paying off as she saw a black furry head pop into existence.

" _Psst, Plagg. Wiggle free and help me get these two out of here. We need to go chase the akuma._ "

The kwami's big green eyes opened and narrowed at his savior.

"Easy for you to say! Do you know how much work that is! I need a wheel, no, TWO wheels of camembert before I can think abou-"

"JUST DO IT!" The shrill voice demanded before flittering back to her own chosen to try unraveling the thread she remained trapped in.

"Yeah...yeah. I'm going." Plagg struggled his way out, pulling several wispy strands of silk with him. Shaking it all off, he went to work pulling the sticky material apart to cut with his sharp fangs.

Meanwhile, the kids were doing just fine. Adrien is pretty much dead on arrival, but it's all fine.

"YOU WERE LADYBUG THE WHOLE TIME?!"

Lies. Nothing is fine.

Marinette had to recoil back at Adrien's yelling. She knew this would happen. Adrien didn't want her. He wanted Ladybug. She could never compare.

"Well. I mean…"

She trailed off and with a sigh she willed herself to continue. Just like a band-aid, rip it off fast and the pain will go away quicker, right? Except that this band-aid really sucked.

"Yes. Adrien. I'm Ladybug. I'm...I'm really sorry I disappointed you."

Marinette closed her eyes and braced for whatever Adrien had left to throw at her. She could take rejection well. It was only the boy of her dreams that happened to be her incredibly flirty partner she rejected at every twist and turn. There is absolutely nothing at stake here.

Though the silence that ensued confused Marinette.

"Ohhh no."

Adrien's whine made Marinette crack one eye open to her partner across the street. He wasn't angry, quite the opposite, he looked like he was cursing himself instead.

"Oh no. Oh crap. Crap. Crap!"

"A-Adrien?"

"God...dammit."

Marinette wasn't sure how to respond to this. He didn't sound angry at all, just confused and patronizing.

"Shit...SHIT!"

"Umm. Adrien?"

"FUCK!"

Oh my god, she never heard Adrien say anything more than hell. If she wasn't so confused, she would have been laughing at the stream of vulgarity that completely betrayed the good boy image Adrien gave off.

"Adrien, is something wr-"

"I'VE BEEN COCKBLOCKING MYSELF!"

The statement echoed off the walls of the street. The bold declaration stopped everything that was happening. Marinette froze along with her kwami's as they had held handfuls of spider webbing. Marinette finally broke the silence.

"What?"

Plagg too took this time to remove himself off a thread he was chomping down on.

"I agree, what?"

Adrien took a deep breath in. And then the boy started to ramble. God damn, did he ramble.

"When I got the Chat Noir miraculous I promised myself that I would love the girl behind the Ladybug mask, which was you, but I didn't know at the time, so I ended up falling head over heels for you and trying to flirt with you in an attempt to woo you because the only role models I've had since I was a kid were on TV and in anime, so I tried to emulate them but instead you kept pushing me away, so I started to give up on wanting to make out with you, because I really wanted to super make-out with Ladybug and it was pretty much my dream, but I knew it was never going to happen!"

Marinette had a hard time processing any of this. Though she was pretty sure she clearly heard 'make-out with Ladybug.'

"What"

"Kid. No. Stop. Kid, no! Shut up! For the love of camembert and all that is kwami, STOP TALKING!"

"While I was trying to give up on Ladybug I decided that I needed to make a change in my life as Adrien, not Chat, so I decided to become better friends with you and Alya, because you were always so shy around me, but clearly that was for a different reason besides being afraid of me, so we started to hang out more and you made me feel that same passion I used to feel for Ladybug, and I started noticing how cute you were and how kind and sweet and how you were determined and stood up for yourself, so I started thinking that was really hot and I started to imagine making-out with you instead of Ladybug, and it was going to be really gross but extremely hot."

"Um...I don't…"

"But then I came into school today and I was psyching myself up for tomorrow when I would try to ask you out, but at the end of the day when I went to go get my history book from my locker, I overheard you and Alya talking about how you wanted to ask me out on a date, and at first I was really excited but I also heard how you've had a crush on me for-like-ever and how I haven't been paying attention to you until now, so I started to feel really bad, but then my heart thought because I wanted a relationship with you that I was cheating on Ladybug, even though we weren't a thing, and I've been thinking about this ever since we started fighting this akuma and now we got hung here in these stupid cocoons and accidently revealed our identities and now I'm mad that I didn't realize the most important girls in my life were the same beautiful person, and now I don't really have to feel bad about imagining wanting to have sloppy makeouts with you or Ladybug because you're the same person and I'm kicking myself for not noticing until now."

Adrien ended his rant with heavy breaths, trying to keep the oxygen in his brain caught up with the verbal maelstrom he spat out. Marinette's brain cut out long before he even finished. Unable to handle that her crush had secretly been her partner this entire time. That and 'sloppy makeouts' being said several times left her speechless to begin with. Adrien recovered from his previous rant and started thrashing in the partially undone tangles of silk Plagg still had to eat through.

"I'm really mad, and I hate myself for not...realizing...THIS SOONER!"

With a yell he managed to fall forward, tearing off part of the cocoon with him and falling to the street. He recovered quickly from the fall, striding over toward Marinette's cocoon where he lightly shooed away the stunned kwami who complied without resistance. Grasping the webbing he pulled apart enough of the strands to let Marinette fall slowly into his then waiting arms. Setting her feet gently back on the ground he turned toward his confused kwami and raised his ring hand.

"Plagg! Claws out!"

"No. No. Wait, kid. That's not a good i-WAGGGGHHHH"

Plagg was barely given time to argue before being sucked back into his ring and reactivating his miraculous. In a flash of green and black, Chat Noir stood where Adrien just was. Looking to his partner-in-crime fighting, Marinette stood there, not moving or making any sounds.

"Mari. This is the part where you shout out your kwamis name and become a badass. We got an akuma running around. I kind of need you right now." He placed a typical Adrien hand on her shoulder, which she barely registered in the corners of her mind.

"Sp...Spots, on?" Tikki zipped silently into the stunned girls earrings as Marinette's form was replaced with the famed heroine of Paris.

"Right. First, I'm going to find that akuma and claw their eyes out. Then, we'll snatch his akumatized item, break it, and send the butterfly back on it's way to Hawkmoth. After that, you can watch me kick my own ass for several hours for failing to realize my future girlfriend has two different identities and I managed to fall in love with her. Twice."

Without even one pun uttered, Chat stormed down the street with one claw tightly gripping his signature staff, leaving Ladybug to recover from the atom bomb dropped directly on her brain. She didn't let him get too far down the street before her thoughts kicked her back to reality, telling her to control her rampaging kitten.

"Kick your own ass? Chat? Chat! Chat, wait up!"

* * *

 **A/N** : Poor Adrien. He wasn't that hard on himself, after they purified the akuma he only kicked his own ass for a _few_ hours with plenty of Ladybug telling him to stop over-reacting. I swear, these two dorks will be the death of me.

If you're following my crossover, Chasing Daylight, don't worry. More of it is in the works. It's just really slow going. Once I finally beat the game of life, I'll be able to devote more time to it. Just bear with me. Until then, R&R.


	2. Ignorance is Bliss

**_A/N_** : I was just going to leave this as a one-shot, but people wanted more and I had ideas. Famous last words, right? For real, it's good to know people enjoy this story. So consider these next two extra chapters as tokens of my appreciation.

Not much else to say really, so let's get right into it.

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DID Chapter 2: Marinette Contemplates Throwing Adrien Through A Window

* * *

Marinette didn't play baseball, or any other sport for that matter, but she did manage to catch one hell of a curveball. They spilled the beans, the cat was out of the bag(Dammit, Chaton!), loose lips sank the ship. Except in this case it was more like loose transformations she guessed. After that astounding revelation, they caught up with the akuma in just a few minutes. Chat Noir managed to beat the akuma and steal his item, she broke it, the butterfly was purified, and now there they sat on top of a nearby apartment building. All of this happening in the span of just twenty minutes.

She was being incredibly kind about it when she said, 'Chat beat the akuma.' as well. It would have been more appropriate to say that he demolished the akuma in record time. She thought when he said that he'd claw the akuma's eyes out that it was all a heat of the moment jest. Nope. She was sufficiently convinced that if she weren't here to hold back Chat that her kitty would have been wanted for murder. No amount of self-defence and vigilante justice pleas would put that off the record.

She didn't even really have to fight the akuma herself, most of her energy had been dedicated to holding off her partner from completely going in. She didn't even need to use a Lucky Charm! The only real contribution she made to actually fighting the akuma was breaking the item. And even then she didn't really consider that to be 'fighting' it. Either way, it appeared he was a lot calmer now. Visibly frustrated? Yeah. But a lot calmer.

Quiet, too. They barely said anything as she stood with her arms folded to the side of Adrien(Chat? Adrinoir? Chadrien?) as he sat cross legged with his hands covering his face. If it had been any consolation for her, he wasn't at all mad at her. He made that very clear back where the cocoons were, and through his unfiltered word dump of a speech. The highlights played on repeat in her head. The only person he was mad at right now was himself. He struggled to make that blatantly obvious.

She wanted to make sure he knew she wasn't mad either. She wanted to tell him so, the air was absolutely thick with tension standing there while he sat there rubbing his face like he just woke up. Ladybug almost jumped when he actually started to move. One of his hands pointing up in the air and his mouth open as if he were going to make a speech.

"So. After we were done fighting Lady Wifi and you hid in the closet to protect your identity. That was totally you on the other side and I could have found that out early?"

"Yes. That was me. And you didn't, which I was extremely thankful for at the time."

Chat's hand went back down, he nodded in understanding and let that knowledge soak in before he raised his hand back up.

"When we fought The Pharaoh. Alya found that history book that was the one from our class and it was the same because-"

"We had the history exam the next day and it was mine before it fell out of my bag into her hands."

Ladybug finished her partner's questions knowing exactly what he was going to ask. She did so in the most deadpan fashion as well. Really unable to put any emotion in considering she was too rocked from the earlier reveal to really let it sink in she was actually in Adrien's presence.

Chat let out a little groan from her answer, his face turning inquisitive again as he held up his hand once more.

"Timebreaker. The reason there were two Ladybug's-"

"Is because I went back with the first Timebreaker and enlisted the help of myself to beat her. I'm actually kind of surprised you remembered with all the weird time stuff going on."

Another groan and this time he winced before coming back with another question.

"Kung Food was-"

"My Uncle and the reason I was so quick on the scene even though the place was covered in goo."

"GAHHHH! Evillustrator!"

"Nathaniel actually asked me on a date for his birthday so I used a 'Secret Mission' excuse to come as my civilian identity and try and stop the akuma from chasing Chloe."

"That was actually smart, I can't lie."

"Thank you."

That side comment still didn't stop Chat from screaming out loud at this own obliviousness and shaking in anger. From there he just devolved further into being an incoherent mess.

"And you-The Gamer! And in the car when the Mime was attacking-And during Copycat when you-I complimented you during Simon Says!-And...and...AGHHHHHH!"

Chat screamed out as he dramatically fell backwards onto the roof, letting his arms limply land near his side. His anger shutting his brain down before it completely overloaded itself with every single moment he had the opportunity to connect the dots.

Marinette wanted to remind him of how much of a drama queen he was being. But considering everything that happened recently, she figured a bulldozer load of frustration being dropped on someone's shoulders all at once couldn't be good for their state of mind.

"Look...Chat. We've been through tougher things. The only thing that matters now is that we try and figure this whole thing out. It's not that bad."

Chat sprung back up like a cat possessed and immediately fired out a counter.

"NOT THAT BAD! NOT THAT BAD?! Bugaboo, I'm not sure if you noticed, but there were so many times the freakin universe gave us to figure this out. SEVERAL times. We could have discovered each other way earlier but we were both too dense to see it! WE...We….we…."

Chat trailed off, staring into space and barely breathing as if he a robot on standby. Ladybug could have sworn she heard him muttering low under his breath. When this near silence went on for at least half a minute, she started to worry.

"Chat? Chat? Kitty?"

"We...me and you...you…"

Marinette chanced it.

"Adrien?"

"You...YOU!"

Chat whipped back to life, delivering a completely rude and prompt point and finger wag at his spotted partner.

"Me? Me, what?"

"We had so many opportunities. That includes me, and you. We are absolutely talking about this."

Marinette's deadpan went away as she felt her feelings flood back into her psyche. The strongest feeling she currently held right now. Was utter embarrassment.

"Me? No! No! We are not talking about this right now, kitty!" Marinette managed to get out, growing flustered and frustrated.

"Ohhhhh. Yes! Yes! We are talking about this right now. Secrets are a two-way street, Maribug, and this game is for two players. Do you want to go down the list, or shall I?"

She wasn't sure how to respond to this. Marinette wasn't prepared to deal with her partner channeling his Chat Noir confidence, Adrien Agreste's rare sassiness streak, and some form of his own self-hatred at her now. She did not need this angry sassy project runway cat projecting at her.

"No! We don't need to go down a list. We don't need to talk about the past. What we need right now is to get off this roof and-"

"Mr. Pigeon !"

"What? What about him?"

Adrien's let off his pointing, instead tilting his hand as if he were counting off items on an actual list.

"The Derby Hats. I mentioned the whole time as Chat that I had an allergy to feathers. Then when I went to try it on, I mentioned the exact allergy again. Nothing!"

Marinette started to pout, he had a point, but she still felt offended as if she need to defend herself. Defensive pouting.

"Lots of people have an allergy like that! Feather allergies are common!"

"Darkblade. Bit of a slip-up on my part, I'll admit, but I absolutely couldn't pass the opportunity up. When we passed in the lobby of Hôtel de Ville. I ran by and punned, PUNNED, directly at you."

Marinette had to think back a bit, writing it off as something completely inconsequential. Then she remembered he had totally made a pun. The kind of pun only Chat Noir with his lame repertoire of jokes would find funny.

"Gamer. Why do you think Chat Noir knew _exactly_ where you were at the time and was able to stage a rescue?"

"I-I...I DON'T KNOW! The akuma was probably around for a few minute, I thought Chat noticed the chaos and rushed over in the time we were separated."

Why did he have so many good points. How were they so oblivious all this time. How had she been blinder than him!

"Oh, let's not forget. The fact that I happen to take several showers when you're around? You didn't find anything weird about that? Simon Says? Volpina?"

This boy had to stop being right. He had to stop being right, right now!

"I don't know! Puberty! Boy stink! Photoshoots! I never really thought about it until you brought it up!"

Actually, thinking about Adrien in the shower made her face feel red hot, those steamy, long showers that Adrien Agreste has to take every day-FOCUS! FOCUS MARINETTE!

"Wait…"

He stopped completely and Ladybug had to look up to notice the realization that hit him written across his face.

"What?"

"Wait a second….hold on. Volpina. You were Ladybug when we fought Volpina. It was you!"

"W-what? What are you talking about?"

Chat clapped his hands together in half-amusement, half-celebration at the fact everything was falling into place.

"Now I know why Ladybug acted so cold toward Lila all of the sudden. You said to Alya in the locker room you had a longtime-crush on me!"

Ladybug tripped and sputtered over her words in an attempt to save face.

"W-What? I don't-That's-"

Adrien's voice grew in volume with his teasing tone and cheshire grin.

"You were jealous of Lila! My lady was jealous over me! That's why you behaved the way you did to her when I called you on it. That's why you were so suspicious of Volpina to begin with! That's why you were so willing to sacrifice your miraculous when she made that ghost image of me, even though I was right-"

" **WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THIS!** "

Marinette's deafening shout silenced Chat's ranting immediately and even caused the black cat to scramble back in a mixture of fear and surprise. Her face matched the red tone of her mask perfect, almost making it blend in while she started to pant from the sudden interruption. The idea that maybe Adrien had taken this reveal thing too far sank in deep after watching his partner in fear that she might lash out at him again.

Instead, Marinette got hold of herself, realizing she may have scared him with her outburst. It wasn't like she actively tried to discover who her partner was underneath it all, short of losing the advantage of anonymity and everyone in her civilian life being safe. But being reminded of all these times she failed to realize her crush had been fighting crime alongside her struck a nerve. Mentioning how badly she messed up when she made Volpina was like striking a landmine with a sledgehammer.

Now composed, Chat tried to reach out and see how extensive the damages that his _stupid_ mouth made were.

"M-my lady?" Chat swallowed. "Marinette?"

With a frown, Ladybug turned away, unlatching her yo-yo in the same motion.

"I...I don't want to talk about it, Chat. We'll deal with this later."

She quickly power walked to the end of the roof and made the motion to cast her yo-yo outward.

"W-wait! Marinette. Please, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean-"

"Later, Chaton."

Her yo-yo hooked around a nearby chimney and she swung away, zooming past the roofs of Paris in the opposite direction of her stunned partner.

"Lady-...bug."

Adrien screwed up. He knew he screwed up, so bad. He should have quit while he was ahead, but here the boy was. The stupid cat couldn't keep his mouth from doing two things, spitting out puns and driving away the only people in his life that brought him joy.

He debated chasing after her as he sat alone on the apartment roof during the windy afternoon hours of Spring. Adrien knew the route to her bakery and Chat knew the way to her rooftop by heart. But she didn't want to see either of them right now. He already prodded the beehive with a stick. What was he going to try next, kicking it?

Marinette didn't want anything to do with anything right now. Once she hit her balcony, she dropped her transformation and dove into bed with very little note from Tikki. Thirty minutes left in school. There would be no reason to return now. All she wanted to do was pass out in her exhaustion and have a dreamless sleep. There was always tomorrow that she could wait til to try solving all the problems she had. And that's exactly what she decided on. Tomorrow.

* * *

Tomorrow it was! Marinette felt rested having turned in early yesterday after the small spat between her and Chat. She also took a moment to feel proud of herself. During her morning routine she only thought about it at least twice. Two and a half if you decide to count a very small intrusive thought about Adrien. She got up well before her alarm, got ready and was out the door, making the walk to school with more than enough time to spare.

Things started to get awkward when she arrived at the front of Collège Françoise Dupont at the same time a bright chrome porsche parked itself outside. Marinette knew who was in that vehicle and wanted to prolong seeing them as long as possible. Spotting Alya, she began an aggressive power walk to the reporter who she just caught the attention of.

"Hey there girl, how you- Woah! Hey, wanna slow your roll there? You're actually on-time for once."

Marinette heard the sound of a car door opening behind her. Now she really needed to book it. She also needed an excuse.

"Um, yeah! I know I'm on time, I'm just really, really excited to learn today. Really hit those books you know?"

Guess it didn't have to be a good one.

"Marinette, you alright?"

"YesAlyaI'mjustfineandI'llseeyouinsideyoucanfindmeinthelibrary-BYE!"

Marinette made a quick sprint out of there as she heard a voice that didn't belong to Alya call out her name. Ignoring it, she got inside and hid away from view inside a small alcove. Part of her thought that this behavior of avoiding Adrien was counterproductive and downright childish. The other side of her liked to kindly beat up the rational side every time it was mentioned.

" _Marinette_." The tinny voice from her bag drew her attention. Opening the clasp, Tikki poked her head out and stared up at her chosen with worry in her eyes and a frown at her lips. "Don't you think you're taking this a little too far?"

Marinette had to sigh, here comes her kwami, the voice of reason. She had a point, she always does. Is she over-reacting? Was she scared? Angry? Even she didn't know.

"I'm not really sure Tikki. It was all just so fast, I haven't really had a chance to think about it. The fact that Chat...Adrien mentioned something that wasn't really my finest moment made me a little bitter. But I don't hate him. I know I don't. The reveal, the confessions, how we've gotten close in the last two months, I just wasn't ready for something like this. I need time, Tikki."

Her kwami offered an understanding and hopeful smile. "I understand Marinette. But I don't think Adrien sees things the same way you do. It was all pretty fast for him too. His little rants were how he was coping, he didn't mean to hurt you. If you want to truly move forward and let him know how you feel, talking it out might be the best solution."

Marinette perked up a little.

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right Tikki. Chat and I have had our little tiffs, but we always managed to talk to one another. Maybe I can do this." She nodded once, newfound confidence and resolve filling the empty doubt inside her. Ladybug and Chat Noir trusted each other with their lives while they protected Paris. Adrien and Marinette became good friends that wouldn't let anything, even a stupid fight, divide them. What was she worried about? All she needed to do was sit down and talk to Adrien about everything. They would sort this out, together.

"Besides, you sit right behind him, so you're going to have to see him today anyway."

Tikki was right. Why did Tikki always have to be right? Why does life hate her?

* * *

To say that the entire class period had been tense was an understatement. It started when Marinette entered Ms. Bustier's class before the bell and Adrien had already been seated at his desk. Then came the Walk of Shame to her desk that involved passing extremely close to the boy she had been avoiding since this morning. Somewhere during it, the two locked eyes. Marinette herself wasn't sure when that happened, she blacked out at the door. Either way, they held eye contact the entire time. Nino took notice of his friend's behavior, shooting a questioning look at Alya whose response was a small shrug. Not only was watching it awkward, it felt downright uncomfortable.

When Marinette passed Adrien completely, both parties snapped back to their senses. Adrien's eyes facing front while his body went into his default supermodel posture mode. Marinette slid into her seat next to Alya and did much of the same. Facing forward with her eyes unnaturally wide and her hands folded neatly in her lap. Her blogger friend turned back to the DJ and mouthed the word, 'Creepy' at him. Nino nodded slowly, turning to his friend who sat up straight and so still he could enter him as a statue for his art project coming up. Before he could even ask, Ms. Bustier entered the room with the late bell ringing shortly after.

They were trying their absolute hardest to get through this class period without causing an incident. But the uncomfortable suspense of being near someone you just had an unresolved fight with no less than a day ago drove them up the wall. Marinette tried to focus on the Literature review, switching between listening and taking notes, but every time her eyes would go from her notes to the board her peripherals would pick up a white blob and a blonde mop of hair. It was hard not to glance at Adrien every so often. He was unusually still most of the time. Whenever he moved slightly Marinette's frayed nerves would go into mini-panic attacks.

The same went for Adrien. If he had to rate this morning, it would be as one of the most stressful lessons in the history of his schooling for all the wrong reasons. It was one thing to know your superhero-almost girlfriend had been so close she could breathe down your neck, for nearly a year now. It was another to have had unresolved issues with said superhero-almost girlfriend being close enough to breathe down your neck. Was she still mad? Was she not? Does she think he's stupid? Adrien certainly thinks Adrien is stupid. He'd been trying hard to sit straight like the literal model student he was and stare dead ahead. But every single noise that came from behind him screamed, _'Look at Marinette! Look at her now! See if she looks mad! Do it you coward! DO IT-DO IT-DO IT-DO IT-'_.

They were both so riled up that 's lecture on the books they had recently studied became white noise. They were both so incredibly ready to blow from hyperalertness that a pencil snapping would be enough to send them reeling. Adrien tried with all his willpower to keep facing forward. Marinette had thoughts on whether it would be easier to concentrate if she threw Adrien out the nearest window. Actually, maybe she should throw herself out the window instead right now. She wouldn't have to explain to a courtroom how the heir of the Agreste fashion line had a nasty run-in with glass shards and paved concrete.

Somewhere along the way, Adrien snapped. turned to the board to write an important topic up on the board. This gave Adrien ample time to try and sneak a peek at Marinette! _'Wow, that totally doesn't seem creepy, Agreste!'_

Trying to tilt his body ever so slightly around, he tried to give the illusion he wasn't moving so as to not alert Marinette. Just so he could throw a quick glance over his right shoulder. He decided it was now or later, and snapped his head back for just a split second view. What he didn't expect, was to meet sharp blue eyes that appeared to be equally as frantic. That split second view he wanted expired several seconds ago.

"Adrien Agreste!"

Adrien whipped forward, letting out a small screaming and scrambling to sit up properly again in his seat.

"Y-Yes, Mme. Bustier!"

"Is staring at Marinette going to help you analyze the themes presented in Don Quixote?"

Wow. Was his face red. He probably looked like an idiot right now.

"Ah, no. No it isn't."

She gave a very firm nod, turning back to the board to continue where she left off.

"Well then, unless this next literature test happens to be about Mlle Dupain Cheng, I suggest paying a bit more attention."

Scratch that. He was an idiot. He heard snickers rise up from around the classroom. Even a subdued hiss next to him which he could tell was Nino trying to hold back laughter. His friend looked over to him and mouthed the word _'Roasted'_.

' _Come on, Nino. Not you too. I don't have many allies left to begin with.'_

Marinette herself was currently putting fire hydrants to shame with the shade of red she turned. She looked over to Alya for moral support, the blogger being halfway between composed and about to break out into laughter. How many hours until Lunch? Two? Three? Perfect. There was no way she could do this.

* * *

Being excused by the teacher and the bell to break for lunch sounded like a choir of angels. Marinette let out a huge breath and let her head fall forward into her waiting arms. She didn't need to go back to the bakery. Maybe she could sleep out the entire lunch break at her desk. Trying to ignore someone's existence(and failing) was tiring. Responsibilities and managing this fractured thing she called a social life could be put on the backburner for now. She didn't have to face them immediately. Then she felt the tapping on the back of her head, responsibilities apparently didn't like what Marinette thought about them.

"Girl, now is not the time for sleeping."

She let out a tired moan and lazily swatted at her poking finger. "Why? What could be more important than letting your best friend sleep?"

Alya stopped annoying the poor girl and instead jerked her thumb toward the classroom door. "I don't know. Maybe it has to do with one of your other 'best friends' motioning you to come with them?"

The blogger's word choice caught her attention, Marinette raised her head off of her crossed arms and looked at the door. Adrien had been standing there and gave her a shy, unsure wave. She knew there was no way she could weasel out of this conversation happening. Might as well suck it up and take the punch like the superheroine she was, right?

Grabbing her bag, she slung it over her shoulders and made her way down to the nervous blonde. Adrien bounced back and forth between his feet while intensely studying the floor. She rarely saw the usually composed model this shaken before. He didn't look mad or angry, just scared with possible hints of curiosity. She couldn't help but admit his behavior tugged at her heart strings a little. They were both very much on edge, but dammit, did he have to look like the sad kitten he was, about to get scolded for ripping up the couch or something.

"Hey." She didn't know how to really say anything else.

"Um, hey." Apparently neither did he.

His hand reflexively went to scratching the back of his neck as his other hand held his messenger bag. They stood there for a bit, not sure how to proceed. Didn't Adrien wave _her_ down?

"Umm…"

Marinette's unsure prod seemed to reach him, snapping out of his distracted reverie, he got back on track.

"Right. Right. Um, can you...follow me. Just for a second. I wanted to...talk this whole thing out. You know, in private?" Funny, wasn't she thinking about doing just that.

"Oh. Yes, of course. Well, lead the way." Marinette passed the reins off to Adrien, giving him a little wave of the hand to get on with whatever he was thinking. With a small nod, he gently reached out and took one of Marinette's hands, leading her out the door and into the hallway. A few kids remained loitering out in the halls, but didn't seem to pay the two any mind as Adrien continued forward, scanning the other classroom doors and number plates for them.

"No. No. Ah. Um, here is fine." He stopped in front of a door to another classroom in the same layout of their own. From what she could see, the classroom lights were out and the room was mostly dark. Adrien let go of Marinette's hand and reached for the door knob. He turned it and opened the door inward, breathing a sigh of relief. "Still unlocked. Good."

Turning back to his companion, he held the door open and offered her to step inside. Marinette took the invitation and followed Adrien into the abandoned classroom. When she got inside, she noticed it was significantly less dark inside the room. The one light source illuminating the room was the sunlight that spilled in from the inside. It did quite a good job as well. Marinette was still able to see mostly everything just fine. The room was also quite clean for an abandoned class. Probably hasn't been cleaned in a week, but with no students here to cause their own messes, it was mostly just negligeable dust.

Walking over to the teacher's desk, she heard the door being gently closed behind her and footsteps. She turned around and leaned against the desk in a sort of half-sit, half-lean. Adrien came in right behind her, mimicking her actions by leaning against the first rows of desk level with her own. Adrien set his bag down on the desk he leaned against and started playing with his hands out of boredom. Marinette herself did her own little idle actions as she played with the sleeves of her blazer and tried to avoid any kind of eye contact while building up the courage to say something. Adrien beat her to it, his head snapping up to look at the girl across from him as he started.

"So...Where do we go from here?"

* * *

 _ **A/N**_ : Ahhhh snap. Those two kids are about to settle down and discuss things like adults? End of the world, lemme tell ya.

I tried not to make the drama too...drama-y. It's still a comedy story, don't worry. Or at least I think I was doing comedy. It's hard to tell sometimes. As always, R & R


	3. I'm With You

**A/N** : New year! Same update schedule. Very late! Haha, self-deprecation humor.

Hope you all had a very festive, warm, and exciting holidays. Time to come down from that cookie coma and get right back into some Miraculous Bug Ladies...wait...

If you didn't read the last chapter, which I hope you did because why skip to the end, Adrien and Marinette were going to do what they're most terrible at. Talk about their feelings! Don't worry, they get better. This'll be the last chapter for the story, I meant for it to be a one-shot originally anyway. It kind of just ended up being multiple chapters. Oops.

Stifling creative energies aside, let's get this fluff show on the road! Enjoy.

* * *

DID Chapter 3: I'm With You

* * *

"So...Where do we go from here?"

Marinette knew this question absolutely had to be asked, so why was she still not ready for it? Adrien stared expectantly at his best friend, not pressuring, just waiting for her own genuine response. She looked down at her feet, crossing her arms and furrowing her brow in an attempt to figure out how to frame her ideas just right. It was kind of a relief Adrien was so patient with her. After all, he knew more than anybody Marinette had issues stumbling over her words near him almost as much as she physically stumbled over everything.

Trying her best, she had nothing to offer him. One of her hands went to rubbing her temples, trying to massage at least one good sentence out of her jumbled thoughts. Even though she had gotten plenty of sleep since yesterday's 'incident', she couldn't be more tired now. Marinette really didn't need this.

"I don't know. I guess we could just go back to business as usual? We're still partners after all."

Adrien sighed, clearly not satisfied with her answer.

"Marinette, I'm not just talking about Ladybug and Chat Noir. I'm talking about us. Me, you, Chat, Ladybug, all of it! I don't know about you, but trying to act like this didn't happen would be pretty difficult. Especially knowing what we both know."

Here he goes. Adrien Agreste is very good at one thing, that was sending Marinette reeling every time he spoke. She thought just saying they were partners and everything would be fine would hopefully put him at ease. Thinking about it, that was incredibly weak. Her whole being was still in 'Dodging Confrontation' mode. She had to agree, even if her sad solution did work, one simply wouldn't be able to brush the fact away they had been fighting alongside their crush unknowingly. Protecting Paris from constant looming threat, putting yourselves in harm's way, having to kiss your best friend if the need arises. Dark Cupid...that's right, she did actually kiss Adrien once. Shit.

"Look, I'm sorry. I know you always look to me for ideas, but this time...I don't know. Everything that happened just...snowballed. It got worse and it was all so fast and-!" Marinette let out a sigh while she was ahead. She was rambling like always. Slow down. Breathe. Take your time. Adrien - Chat - knows you. He just wants an answer. She pulled her head up to try staring at his neutral expression. "I don't know. I want us to get back to how we were, but there's so much between us. I just want you to know that...I'm sorry. I'm not mad, yesterday wasn't your fault. I know you were stressed, I was completely stressed out too. I just took it out on you when I didn't mean it. I don't hate you."

Holding the unreadable neutral expression, he couldn't help but pique an eyebrow up in curiosity.

"You don't?"

"No. Of course not. Kitt-Adrien. I could never hate you."

There were several seconds of silence in which they just stared at the other. Marinette's a mixture of worry and grief next to Adrien's blank face. Eventually, Adrien let out another sigh as Marinette heard him mutter.

"Well, that's a relief."

He looked away and smiled shyly at the ground. The smile was short lived, sobering up quickly and turning his gaze back to Marinette.

"Since we got that established, how about we take this one at a time. What do you think about...us?"

"Us?"

"Yeah. Me and you. Adrien and Marinette."

Right. Ladybug and Chat Noir were an unbreakable team. Sure, an identity reveal and a small fight shook up their normal banter and light hearted mirth. But they can adapt, move forward, push onward and continue doing what needed to be done for the good of Paris. Their civilian identities were the linchpin that directly affected their alter egos. And right now, it featured two very awkward teenagers confused about their feelings. Especially now considering the words that so graciously rolled out of the blond boy's mouth yesterday.

Marinette would be lying if she said she didn't appreciate the extra attention that Adrien decided to give to her and Alya as of recent. The first few days had her practicing stifling squeaks that would put fangirls at a boyband concert to shame and rebooting her consistently failing brain when noticed by him. Much like during the Kung Food akuma, proximity became an incredibly helpful ally to the designer. She stopped stuttering, she became more coherent and less prone to sudden accidents, as much as she could considering she is _THE_ Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and the ability to hold down entire conversations with him that included minimal embarrassment in just a few weeks.

The progress they made continued on and on without stopping. She got everything she ever wished, and in the last few months she learned more about Adrien she would ever need for years to come. Obviously too much considering recent events. Marinette could definitely recite various fun facts about Adrien's various likes/dislikes and small quirks as confident and sure as Adrien probably could. She had harsh competition, but vying for the coveted title of Adrien Agreste's best friend was a possibility. (Sorry, Nino.) Now if only she hadn't been so desperate to upgrade that friend status to girlfriend.

"Honestly, I don't want to lose what we have. Me and Alya were ecstatic, _mainly me_ ," She added shyly, "When you and Nino wanted to hang out more, that was probably the best decision ever. Getting to talk with you has been great and we've come a long way." Adrien stared into Marinette's blues as he noticed the bright gleam in her eye as she spoke. "I'm really glad we're friends now, this whole situation is just really crazy and...I guess I need time to adjust."

A swell of emotions overtook Adrien, she wanted to be friends, even more of his fears were pacified. Hand going up to scratch his neck nervously.

"I'm glad...I'm really glad. I think...deciding to take better care of myself as Adrien was the best decision I ever had, honestly." Adrien couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. It was downright infectious, Marinette mirrored his warm smile with her own. "Don't get me wrong, I've talked with you and Alya before, but once me and Nino started to involve you guys, I learned nearly everything I wanted to know about you two. Even if you were a little bit shy at first."

Adrien's teasing brought a little heat to her cheeks. His little jab made Marinette giggle, even though she was supposed to be offended.

"Adrien!" She managed to whine out through her chuckles.

Adrien allowed himself to grin at this. They needed these kind of moments to help ease the tension. Light carefree teasing that was present in their civilian and hero lives.

"Alright, I'll be fair. I mentioned 'Alya' to Nino and he got really excited until he realized he would actually have to be around her for extended periods."

Marinette's eyebrows raised. "Is that why he tried so hard to impress Alya when we ate lunch together that first day?"

Adrien failed to stop the laughing fit that came to him at the memory of the DJ being on edge the entire lunch break. Trying incredibly hard to get Alya's attention with jokes and stories. "I thought I was the only one who noticed. It was so obvious."

Marinette shrugged and offered up a sly smile. "He didn't really have to try hard. Al is always so bold and brash. But once I mention a certain boy in a ballcap, she hits the wall, hard."

Adrien laughed even harder at the mention of their hopeless friends. Shaking his head at their various antics, those two definitely had chemistry, they were just too blind to see it. Blind like a certain couple had been for a long time now. Him being one part of it. He cleared his throat and looked away nervously.

"Speaking of that, I had another question. A related question."

Marinette dropped her smile to look curiously at him.

"What do you want me to be?"

"What?"

Adrien seized up and leaned forward off the desk he half-sat on. As he paced the room, he tried explaining himself, Marinette tracking him the whole time.

"I'm just-I'm really sorry if I come off as rude. But I just want to know where I stand. Because I basically spilled my heart out to you back during the akuma attack. That was also after accidentally eavesdropping on you in the lockers about your crush on me. I've been thinking about how I flirted with Ladybug for so long without knowing about you or you knowing about me. And-and I've probably didn't notice all the times you tried to get my attention when all I did was focus on Ladybug. And...I just, feel kind of lost."

He stopped in front of the window, letting his arms fall at his side as he stared out into the semi-busy Paris streets. Marinette took this time to stand up herself and head to where he stood, taking her place next to him.

"Adrien?"

Adrien turned to her and stared once more into her eyes. Trying to gather the words to explain his feelings to her.

"Marinette, how long have you had a crush on me?"

The girl was taken back by the sudden question. Her face burned with an instant influx of pink and even though she thought the stutter had been conquered, it manifested itself again while she stumbled out an answer.

"W-well. Um...t-that-"

She halted when she felt his hand back on her shoulder. Adrien's face held sympathy and understanding, nodding at the girl to continue. Marinette composed herself with a deep breath.

' _No more stuttering. Talk it out girl!'_

"Back during your first real day of school. When we first met and I didn't know you that well. When I thought you and Chloé were trying to pull some sort of prank with the little gum incident." She heard Adrien mutter a 'Thanks for reminding me.' and allowed herself a little smile. "Originally, I thought you were just another person who got their kicks off making others feel miserable. And at that point, I had it with always being lumped together with bullies and, excuse me, asses that are a part of every single one of my school years."

Adrien let that sentence sink in for a bit. Chloé and Marinette definitely had a history that went deep at this point. But did Marinette used to have bullies that weren't just Chloé? He made sure to make a mental note to make a list and find anyone who tried picking on his lady before. If they were still up to no good, maybe Chat Noir might be able to _'teach'_ them to respect their fellow peers.

"But then it was the end of the school day after the day we beat Stoneheart. I was standing there without an umbrella and you were heading to catch your car. You did something I didn't expect, apologizing and offering your umbrella. After that, I saw you in a new light. My emotions would go haywire everytime I'm around you and I would never be able to snap out of it. Even mentions of your name would make me nervous. I wanted to know more about you, more about that kind, selfless and amazing boy that gave up his personal comfort for someone he started off on rocky ground with."

Adrien had been deeply moved my Marinette's words. Considering everything they knew, everything that happened, how close they had recently been. He had to try very hard to contain it all inside of him. It was astounding how much love she had for him.

"Of course, that was before how much of a dork I figured out this Europe famous model was that adored bad jokes and watched enough anime to be able to quote whole episodes."

Marinette's crack caused a bit of mood whiplash, instead of tears of wonder, Adrien tried desperate now to not laugh so hard he cried himself incomprehensible. The designer let him calm down before she reflected the question.

"What about you? You said back in the cocoons you had a crush on me as Marinette. When did you find out?"

Adrien sobered, wiping the ghosts of tears from the corners of his eyes and holding his stomach from doubling over in hysterics.

"When? I guess it had to be a few months back. We were on lunch break one day and Alya wanted to go somewhere. So we followed her and found a sandwich cafe we never tried before. We ordered our food, sat down, and we were just talking about whatever came to mind around the table. Alya asked about some of your recent designs and so you started explaining the process. I didn't know what it was about you at that time, but the way you talked so passionately about what you loved and something about how excited you got. I guess...I saw parts of Ladybug in you and my heart started beating, heavily. Even though we were friends at that point and we knew so much about each other, I wanted to know...more. I wanted to be alone with you and talk about everything and anything."

It was Marinette's turn to be stunned. Damn.

If there was one thing Marinette realized after connecting Adrien to Chat, and vice versa, it was that the cat ended up being very good at rendering her speechless. Sometimes in less agreeable circumstances, most of them involving Chat's sense of wordplay, and sometimes in amazing ways. Marinette silently decided that this had to be one of her favorite times.

"Then I was planning on how to sneak you out on a date. Which led to the akuma, the reveal, and now the reason we're standing in this classroom. So, Marinette…"

Dull green held blue again.

"I want to know where you want to go with this. If you want to remain friends, if you want to start dating, or if you want nothing to do with me, that's fine too. Do you still have a crush on me?"

Marinette barely took a split second to think. Throughout it all, mask or not, Adrien was still Adrien. Chat Noir was a part of him and she accepted it. Much like Ladybug was a part of Marinette that Adrien fell in love and almost out of love to pursue Marinette. Only to find himself caught in the trap and falling back in love with a part of her that he was more than willing to accept.

"Adrien, yes. I do have a crush on you still."

Without a smile, Adrien's eyes still sparkled and a pleasant wave of heat rolled across him.

"Wait. Really?"

Marinette shook her head 'Yes' in confirmation.

A hopeful grin turned the corners of his mouth skyward. "So, that means you still want this Europe famous dork? The cat ears aren't a turn off?"

"Yes. Yes, Adrien. My feelings haven't changed, I still have a crush on that same dork that I ended up becoming friends with. And if making something out of it means I have to put up with a few more unbearable cat puns than usual. So be it." Marinette turned to the side and murmured under her breath without thinking. _"Beside, the cat ears are a turn-on if anything."_

Marinette chuckled at herself for the small joke, not registering Adrien's shocked expression. Before he let out an exclamation.

"Wait a minute! What was that?"

Marinette snapped back to Adrien, excitement mixed with a shit-eating grin adorned his face. "What was what?"

"What you just said. I caught that! Something about cat ears and turn-ons?"

The designer blanched. Crap, did he hear that? Did she say that out loud? Stupid kitty cat and his stupid heightened sense of hearing and his stupid pretty face and stupid ears that heard words exclusively meant to be said in her head.

"No. No. Nope. Didn't say that."

Adrien's joy at this point was through the roof, not even his smile was enough to convey just how much this moment meant to him.

"Princess. Did you maybe, possibly have a small crush on Chat Noir?"

Marinette avoided eye contact at all costs. Her eyes darted back and forth in an attempt to look inconspicuous as she crossed her arms and did more defensive pouting.

"I did not!"

Trying her hardest not to look, she couldn't contain herself after he had been silent for a whole half a minute. That same grin did not change.

"You know, Buginette, for someone who has to lie everyday for an excuse to protect her identity, you are really terrible at it sometimes."

Adrien unexpectedly pounced forward wrapping his arms around Marinette's waist and pulling her close to rub the side of his face against her, like an actual cat.

"This is the best day ever! My lady ended up having a crush on me. TWICE! I am so happy."

He started jumping up and down with the petite girl in her arms. Marinette shouted protests for Adrien to put her down and stop being so loud, just in case someone came to check the classroom due to the noise. But even she could barely manage to force them out through the laughter at how happy this crowning moment made her partner. Eventually the laughter died down and he graciously set his lady back down on the ground. The two were still coming down from their euphoria as they collected their abandoned backpacks and ushering the kwami wrapped up in a conversation of their own back into the bags.

They walked over to the door of the room, Marinette reached for the handle and was about to turn it before an outburst from Adrien stopped her.

"Wait!"

She turned in surprise to him, eyes wide and curious.

"What? What's wrong now?"

Adrien scratched his head and, with one hand in his pocket, rocked back and forth on his feet.

"Since we're going to try this whole couple thing. Would you like to go out on a date soon?"

Shooting her a nervous smile, Marinette shook her head.

"Chaton, did you really need to ask?"

Using her free hand, she booped her partner on the nose and gave him a wry smile. All he could do was smile back and stare.

"Now come on, if we don't grab something quick to eat and get back, we'll be late for class."

* * *

Two days passed by since The Talk. Alya and Nino poked fun at them for at least a day after for their strange behavior before in class. Besides offering to walk Marinette home, her and Adrien hadn't acted any closer than usual in front of everybody. Because of this relentless teasing, Marinette was able to concoct a brilliant plan overnight. When Adrien asked back in the classroom if she wanted to go on a date, she realized he had been so flustered he didn't specify a time. What time like the present?

Thankfully, there was no sign of Alya or Nino out front when her and Adrien arrived outside of the school entrance. Marinette and Adrien entered the school like any other day. Only they walked the halls slightly closer as Marinette leaned into Adrien to whisper to him.

"Adrien! I have a little plan to get back at Alya and Nino for teasing us the other day. When we break for the lunch period, just follow my lead."

They broke apart and entered the class, saying nothing else. Adrien was left slightly confused not being given anything else as a gameplan but "Wing it!". Class dragged on slower than usual, students peeled out in droves to enjoy the free time given before the afternoon. Eventually, the class emptied until it was just the four of them. _Perfect_.

"Psst, Alya."

The blogger let out a quiet 'Mmm?" as she watched Marinette stand and sling her backpack with a random wicked grin.

"Watch this."

Marinette took the stairs down and came around to stand in front of Adrien's desk. Him and Nino finished gathering their things and were ready, but stopped to talk. Conversation was cut short when the small raven haired girl cleared her throat to get their attention. When Adrien turned to her, all bets were off, it was game time.

"Hey there, hot stuff. I know you're usually pretty busy during lunch, but I know such a handsome gentleman such as yourself wouldn't mind accompanying a lady like me?" Nino and Alya broke in sync. Too bewildered at the events unfolding before them to try interrupting. Alya didn't even make a grab for her camera yet. Marinette couldn't help but think she may have gone too far. Adrien was with them for at least a few seconds, not used to the uncharacteristic words coming out of her mouth, but then he remembered the plan. Oh...she was good.

"Well now, I guess I could clear my schedule for such a fine lady. After all, it would be an absolute shame to turn a beauty like you down when you asked so nicely." Adrien stood up and slung his bag as he offered his arm. Marinette linked her arm in his, making sure to give a flamboyant wink in the direction of her two shocked friends.

"Since you said yes, I know the perfect place we could go to share a coffee and a meal. Maybe even share a little something else, if you catch my drift."

"But of course! Lead the way, my breathtakingly gorgeous princess."

Arm in arm, the two moseyed to the door, not giving a second thought to the friends left behind in the classroom. They didn't move, make a sound, they barely breathed for at least a minute after they were long gone. Nino was the first to recover, looking toward Alya for guidance.

"Dude, what just happened?"

* * *

"Did-Did you-Did you see their fac-AHA HA HA!"

"OHHHHH. Oh my-Nino's face, his eyes just went...WOOSH. AHHH"

The duo swayed with hysterical laughter out of the school, unable to calm down while they kept reminding the other how well the plan had gone. Leaning on one another, they calmed down and Marinette took his hand and started walking.

"Alright, let's get going."

The small girl felt herself get tugged back, stumbling from the force she managed to somehow catch herself before falling down. She quickly figured out that it was Adrien pulling her.

"Wait, hold up. You were serious?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't I be? You said you wanted to try dating. Putting on that show in front of Alya and Nino was just payback. Now come on or else you're paying for both of our lunches."

Marinette pulled Adrien again, this time the taller blond allowing himself to be dragged before falling into a walk next to Marinette.

"My lady, you are truly awesome."

He'd pay for both their meals anyway.

* * *

Things were good. Great, even. The day flew by after lunch, which had to the absolute highlight to her afternoon. After knowing where they stood and being very clear about the fact, Marinette was more than willing to get past the awkwardness that came with the initial shock. But when the realization kicked in that she was sharing a lunch date with _the_ Adrien Agreste, her long time crush that moonlights as an accidental advocate for borderline fetish material, the voice in her head screaming that this would end badly cropped up as they passed through the doorway to the small restaurant.

Marinette ended up pleasantly surprised that it didn't. The conversation was slow going at first, but both sides quickly warmed up to it. Talking just like they had before as friends, minus the inclusion of Alya and Nino at the table. They lapsed into superhero-esque banter at some points, which ended up being better as it was honestly something they were used to doing. All in all, it ended up feeling like before, natural and honest. Two best friends enjoying an hour away from everything. Though the date also did feature quite a bit of flirting from each person that could obviously be considered crawling out of 'Friend' territory.

Now for the least favorite moment of her day and probably various other student's. Homework. Lots of it. Marinette settled into her room early with plenty of snacks for her and Tikki, digging through her bookbag and stacking the assignments high on her desk. No point in letting this work intimidate her, better to dig in her heels and take care of it now. Take care of it she did! For the amount of work on her desk, the other assignments were such non-issues that everything took less than an hour. Everything except this grueling physics homework.

Marinette was decent at math and science, decent enough. Physics was a different beast entirely. And as she sat staring at the assigned questions in the textbook for tonight, she couldn't help but feel lost in the jumble of numbers and words and ideas. She glanced at the clock. _6:43 p.m_. She could see it getting dark outside as the sun went away. It was edging slowly closer to nighttime and she was nowhere near done as when she started before the sunset. Marinette had an idea at one point to ask her kwami for assistance. But even with being millennia old, Marinette couldn't imagine she'd have a better grasp on the subject than her.

' _If only I had a little help.'_

Marinette's concentration on the page in front of her wavered when she heard the tap-tapping of something against glass. Her window being the one thing in her room able to be the one source of that sound. Quickly redirecting her focus on her window, she looked out toward the dark orange-hued cityscape. Now what the hell made that sound and why didn't she see anything? Her mind went down the list of possibilities, suggesting things like a lost bird, rogue tree branches. When her eyes caught the briefest hint of motion in the top left corner, she wished it would be anything else than the actual culprit. Twitching infrequently and blending in with the slowly darkening night sky was the triangle of a cat's ear.

Pushing her chair away, the cat ear twitched in response from the noise and retreated away. Marinette crossed the room and climbed the stairs to her bed where she unlocked the trapdoor, pushing it up and open.

"Geronimo!"

Before she had a chance to move away, a black blur with a shock of yellow thrown in flew by her field of view. Said blur landed surprisingly quiet against her floor and rolled forward with momentum before her window-tapping suspect ended the acrobatics with his arms high in the air like he had finished a gymnast routine at the olympics.

"That was ok, entirely unnecessary, but kind of cool."

Chat responded to Marinette's critique, whipping his head around to meet her. With a little flourish of a spin, he turned the rest of his body to face her.

"Princess, your long awaited knight has arrived."

Marinette almost scoffed in response to Chat's antics. She really didn't need this clingy alley cat. She was supposed to be focusing on Physics homework right now. Physics homework that was not being worked on currently.

"Chat, we literally just saw each other not three hours ago. I wouldn't exactly say long-awaited."

Not dropping his smile, he went into an overly emphasized bow.

"Ah, maybe not for you. But this cat simply couldn't bear with the _pawnishment_ of not being able to see you again."

Pawnishment? Really?

"Punning now? Alright, I appreciate you came all this way. But I'm a bit busy right now. Go home, kitty!" Marinette pointed to the trapdoor. Not puns. She couldn't handle puns now. She would take endless physics problems against a single Chat Noir pun any day of the year.

Dropping his regal bow, he put one gloved hand over his mouth in mock surprise, dropping to his knees and holding his palms up to the bothered girl as he mimicked being on the verge of tears.

"What is this, Princess? Are...are you saying you don't need your Knight-In-Shining-Leather anymore?"

Shaking her head, she went back to her rolley chair, taking her seat with an amused smile tugging at her lips. "Maybe, but honestly it's more like a Dork-In-Shining-Leather."

Chat frowned from the comment, dropping his arms limply to his side.

"Cold, my dear lady. Cold."

Hopping to his feet, Marinette picked up her pen again and tried to get back into the problem she left off on. Though it became at least ten times more difficult with a giant cat hovering on your shoulders. What the hell was so interesting about tangential velocity again?

"What'cha got there, Mari?"

"Well, until I was so rudely interrupted by a certain someone trying to win a gold medal for Paris…"

"Pfft. Everyone's a critic."

"I was trying to finish the last of my homework. I'm kind of stuck on these problems and referring back to this three hundred dollar textbook all the time hasn't helped at all. What about you? Why are you transformed? I thought we agreed no patrols on Thursday."

"Well, I-Um." He managed growing sheepish with each passing second. "I wasn't kidding when I joked about not seeing you again. I just…really wanted to spend some more time with you, I guess."

Marinette put her pen back down and had to stare at the softie next to her. Shaking her head again, something she knew would quickly become a habit with his behavior.

"Adrien, we were on a date not too long ago, and you already want more time with me? That's called being clingy, kitten." She reached up to teasingly pinch his cheeks, him pulling away and swatting at her hand.

"Ah, come on bugaboo. Don't tell me you don't want some personal time with yours truly?"

Shooting him up a sly smile, she countered, "Well, I never said that, but these problems are due tomorrow and if sacrificing a cuddle session will allow me to keep my grade point average, so be it."

Chat leaned on her, clearly forgetting the first rule about personal space as he scrunched Marinette into her chair, scanning her work already done.

"Is this...Physics?"

Pushing Chat up and off her, she straightened up, reaching for her notebook and cradling it protectively.

"Yes, yes it is."

Placing his claws on his hips in the stereotypical hero pose, Chat reverted back to his usual dramatic self.

"It's a good thing I came when I did, Princess. Your brave, strong, and oh so charming jungle cat here happens to be an excellent tutor in all things physics. In fact, I happen to have absolutely purrfect marks in that class. I'll stay by your side if it means helping my fair maiden slay these staggering conundrums."

Marinette knew it going to be one of those nights.

"You really don't want to go home, do you?"

"Nnnnnope~" He drawled with a pop on his 'P' sound. Marinette sighed and turned back to finish a question.

"Okay. If you really do want to stay, once I finish this physics homework, you can get comfortable and let Plagg rest while we watch a movie, or something."

She heard the small gasp behind her followed by an incredibly happy whisper of "You mean it?!"

"Sure. I'll warn you, I've been on the same question for the last ten minutes, so it might take a little while before-"

"The answer to number seven is two V over X." Chat ended up promptly cutting her off as he walked off to another part of the room. Marinette's mouth stopped moving and she looked back at the problem. Concentrating on her answer and looking at it, she realized that was exactly what she was missing in her problem. He must have just finished this homework before heading over here.

"God dammit, Chaton…"

* * *

Weeks passed by since the two figured it out, and they couldn't be any happier. With time and many subsequent dates, in and out of costume, they fell into a natural rhythm together. One that, after the stunt they pulled on Alya and Nino, became impossible to hide to their two friends, much less the whole class. Everyone acknowledged the fact they were an item now, various bets around the classroom were paid in full, Chloé screamed for only ten minutes and vowed to tear Marinette apart for only five. Everything was right with the world.

Today, Marinette was sitting in Nino's seat with Adrien. The group often organized these seat swaps, mainly Nino and Marinette. It happened so often sometimes that Nino swore Marinette had partial ownership of his original seat. He would complain more, if it weren't for the fact he got to sit next to Alya so often. Now if only she would stop cooing at the happy couple in front of them.

Nino wasn't the only one with objections to the seat change. Though she really didn't specify there was assigned seating, Ms. Bustier had a list of complaints she could make about the sudden change-up in class. Mainly that with the problems she's had before with the model and designer being that they would talk throughout the lesson and disrupt her class. After a while, it was so common that she stopped trying to split them up. She did have one rule she issued to them, however. Cause one incident during her lesson, and she would have no problem enforcing assigned seats.

Other than that, everything seemed normal again, with the exception of their costumed alter ego lifestyle. Everything was just fine.

 _ **BOOM!**_

Except for that explosion. The force of the blast shook the foundation of the school, startling the students. When the windows shattered and fine little pieces rained into the room, the class took cover behind and under the desks.

"Alright everyone. This is clearly an akuma attack. Stay calm and remember the evacuation procedure."

Evacuation procedure be damned, everyone gathered whatever they could of theirs and rushed out the classroom. Ms. Bustier following behind, trying to keep an eye on everyone and keep them together. What she didn't know was that in her haste she was currently missing two students. One of which popped up from under a desk back in the classroom, taking a survey of the now empty classroom before ducking back down to meet his unphased girlfriend.

"Classroom empty?"

"Yep, I think Madame Bustier was the last one out."

"She's going to be wondering where we are soon."

"Yep."

"You think Hawkmoth will ever get bored of this?"

"Nope."

Adrien lifted up his shirt to let Plagg out of his inner pocket while Marinette released the clasp on her purse to which Tikki came flying out.

"You people are way too calm about this." Plagg criticized.

"What can we say? Comes with experience." Adrien quipped back.

"Well, I hope that experience will be enough to defeat that akuma out there. This one sounds pretty fearsome." Tikki added. Right on cue, the announcing of the akuma's grand entry muffled slightly by the layers between them, came through the window.

"My name is The Collector! I will complete my collection no matter the cost. Everything else is simply trash to me! But first, where are Ladybug and Chat Noir!"

Adrien and Marinette looked back at each other.

"Looks like that was our cue, Chat."

"Right. But before we go, our excuses."

"Okay, we wanted to go with the group, but the explosion was so frightening that by the time we discovered the class was empty, we thought it'd be much smarter to hide."

"Reason why we didn't hear everybody leave is because the explosion was also really loud. Caused some hearing loss." Adrien suggested.

"Kind of a stretch, but it could work. If the class comes back before we do?"

"Say we were trying to find the class but got split up by the akuma."

"I can say I was hiding in the girls restroom and you were looking all over for me after the attack."

"Purrfect, my lady."

Marinette jokingly hit Adrien's arm for the insufferable pun and beamed at him. Yep, same as it ever was.

"Ready?"

"Always, bug."

With one look at their kwami's the pair got ready to save the day yet again.

 **"Tikki, spots on!" "Plagg, claws out!"**

* * *

 **A/** **N** : Awww. Look at em, two kids finally happy and going to beat the snot out of an akuma. Those kids'll be alllllright.

I'd like to thank everyone for the support in writing this. I also appreciated for those who followed me as an author from this fandom. You guys won't be disappointed in the future. I'm planning out some big things. I also got a bit of life stuff to deal with in between writing these. But once I get free of that, there'll be nothing stopping me from devoting more time to the two stories I have in the writing process. Stay tuned, you're gonna like what you see. Anyway... _ **R & R**_


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